Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris has urged the European Union to "review its trade relations" with Israel, following what he condemned as a “shameful” decision by the Knesset to pass a law banning activities of UNRWA, the United Nations agency for “Palestinian refugees”.
Harris made these remarks on Tuesday in Dublin during the visit of Antonio Costa, the incoming European Council president from Portugal, who is set to assume the position by the end of the year, according to a report in JNS.
“The most important step the European Union could take now is to review trade relations at EU level. What Israel and the Knesset did last night is despicable, dishonorable, and shameful,” stated the Irish Prime Minister.
“More people will die, more children will starve,” he warned.
Harris said he plans to discuss “how Europe must now find the moral courage, in my view, to act” with Antonio Costa.
On Monday, the Knesset approved legislation which would ban the activities of UNRWA in Israel with a historic majority of 92 out of 120 MKs. Only 10 MKs voted against the bills, with the opposition parties National Unity, Yisrael Beytenu, and Yesh Atid supporting it. The Democrats party abstained.
The bills received initial Knesset approval in July.
UNRWA, which has long been criticized for cooperating with Hamas, has come under increased scrutiny as its workers have been found to have been directly involved in Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Israel revealed in January of this year that UNRWA staff participated in the October 7 Hamas attacks. It then presented a dossier showing that the UNRWA workers who participated in the Hamas massacre kidnapped a woman, handed out ammunition and actively took part in the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri, where 97 people were murdered.
Harris’ call comes amid strained relations between Ireland and Israel, as Ireland has been a vocal critic of Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza.
In April, Harris failed to mention the hostages being held by Hamas during his first speech after being elected leader, resulting in criticism from Israel’s Foreign Ministry.
Last month, Harris criticized Israel's strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, accusing Israel of a “pattern of flouting international law and disregard for rules of engagement”.
Harris’ predecessor, Leo Varadkar, launched a tirade against Israel in February, accusing the country of becoming "blinded by rage" over plans to launch a ground offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Ireland has also been one of the countries pushing for recognition of a Palestinian state, a move encouraged by the Palestinian Authority as a means of bypassing direct talks with Israel. In May, Spain, Norway and Ireland formally recognized a Palestinian state.
